Obama speaks in Arden, says manufacturing is rebounding

President Obama greets employees of Linamar Corp. and their guests after a speech and tour of the Arden facility Wednesday.

Patrick Sullivan/Times-News

By Than AxtellTimes-News staff writer

Published: Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 2:21 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 2:21 p.m.

A day after calling for initiatives to bolster American jobs during his State of the Union speech, President Obama addressed workers at an engine parts plant in Arden Wednesday, touting them as a model of innovation and adaptation.

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Speaking before several hundred employees of Linamar Corp. and their guests, Obama used the plant’s retooling from a shuttered Volvo plant to a reinvigorated parts supplier as proof of manufacturing’s resurgence.

“That’s the American story,” Obama said, standing on a podium flanked by engine blocks machined at Linamar. “We don’t give up. We get up. We innovate. We adapt. We learn new skills. We keep going.”

Obama used the Arden appearance to plug several initiatives he pushed during Tuesday’s State of the Union speech, as well as an excuse to grab some 12 Bones barbecue on his way to the airport.

He called on Congress to help his administration set up 15 “global centers of high-tech jobs and advanced manufacturing around the country,” modeled after a pilot project in Youngstown, Ohio. Three such manufacturing hubs will be set up by executive order.

The president also wants Congress to eliminate tax breaks for companies that move jobs and profits overseas, and reward companies that keep them at home by lowering the effective tax rate paid by domestic manufacturers – “in-sourcing,” he called it.

After shedding jobs for more than 10 years, Obama said U.S. manufacturers have added 500,000 jobs over the past three years. He cited Caterpillar — which Linamar supplies parts to — moving back from Japan, Ford bringing jobs back from Mexico and Apple making Macs again domestically.

“Because just as it’s becoming more and more expensive to do business in places like China, America is getting more competitive and more productive,” the president said.

Obama’s appearance struck a chord with Linamar’s workers, who swarmed around him to shake hands and take photos following his 15-minute speech, which ended around 12:30 p.m.

Rosman resident Mark Shipley, who started at Linamar as a machine operator last June, was hoping to bring his wife to see Obama’s speech, but she fell ill and couldn’t make it.

“She was wanting to be here for this moment,” Shipley said, a camera at the ready around his neck. “This is pretty cool. The only people that are allowed to be here are employees and family members.”

His friend, Steven Blackburn of Etowah, was working for another area manufacturer as a temp. But he wasn’t happy there, he said.

“I’d been there a year and a half trying to get on with them,” Blackburn said of his former employer. “I put in for this at the (AB Tech) job fair in October and started work in April. It’s been great.”

Both Shipley and Blackburn work on the plant’s CNC machines, computer-aided machining equipment that has revolutionized modern manufacturing.

“We do motors for Volvo,” Blackburn said. “We do all the machining on the blocks: drilling, milling, tapping. Once it leaves our doors, it’s ready for Volvo to assemble for 6-cylinder tractor-trailers, dump trucks.”

Canadian-owned Linamar is in the process of expanding its plant, adding $75 million in investment and hiring an additional 250 workers. Blackburn speculated the renovated plant may have provided the perfect backdrop for a presidential talk on jobs.

“Maybe that’s a reason he’s focusing on us, because we’re a growing company,” he said. “I think we’re all blessed to have him come and visit our company. It’s awesome.”

Blackburn’s brother, Doug, who lives in Dana, was also hired on with Linamar as a parts washer and packer after he saw the pay and benefits his sibling was getting. He, too, left a temp job at another area manufacturer — Meritor in Fletcher.

“It was a blessing from God,” his wife, Valerie, said as she waited for the president to arrive. The couple was struggling financially before Linamar’s offer, she said.

Obama cautioned his audience that “we’re not going to bring back every job that’s been lost to outsourcing and automation over the last decade.” He referenced his earlier tour of Linamar, where he saw computers at use that help the company produce more engine parts with fewer workers.

But many hard-hit manufacturing towns can be revitalized, he said, if local officials partner with federal resources to attract new investment.

“Because once the investment starts coming in, things start turning around. And that means infrastructure gets modernized and research facilities get built, and suddenly a community that was knocked down is getting back up, and they’re attracting new manufacturers who want to come and expand and hire,” Obama said.

During a conference call with reporters before the speech, Director Gene Sperling of the president’s National Economic Council said Obama’s budget would include $6 billion in tax credits to help downtrodden communities attract new manufacturers to replace lost ones.

The president also pushed his proposal to create a “Community College to Career Fund” as a way “to help our workers get the training to compete for the industries of tomorrow.” The goal is to train 2 million Americans with skills that lead directly to a job, and he used Linamar’s partnership with AB Tech as an example of how customized, on-the-job training can work.

“It’s good for Linamar, because they’re getting workers who they know can do the job,” the president said. “It’s good for the folks who are going to the community college, because they know if they work hard and they do well in class, there’s a job waiting for them.”

On his fourth trip to the Asheville area, Obama hinted that he and his wife like the area so much they might consider retiring here.

“Michelle and I always talk about how after this whole presidency thing, we’re looking for a little spot to ... come on down (to),” the president said coyly. “Play a little golf, do a little hiking, fishing, barbecue.”

Two student leaders from West Henderson High, student body President Collin Armstrong and senior class President Zachary Chokr, got a front-row view of the president’s speech, thanks to Principal Dean Jones’ connections.

“He came up before he went up to the podium and shook our hands,” Chokr said, describing the experience as “something I’ll never forget. It was a pretty big moment.”

<p>A day after calling for initiatives to bolster American jobs during his State of the Union speech, President Obama addressed workers at an engine parts plant in Arden Wednesday, touting them as a model of innovation and adaptation.</p><p>Speaking before several hundred employees of Linamar Corp. and their guests, Obama used the plant's retooling from a shuttered Volvo plant to a reinvigorated parts supplier as proof of manufacturing's resurgence.</p><p>“That's the American story,” Obama said, standing on a podium flanked by engine blocks machined at Linamar. “We don't give up. We get up. We innovate. We adapt. We learn new skills. We keep going.”</p><p>Obama used the Arden appearance to plug several initiatives he pushed during Tuesday's State of the Union speech, as well as an excuse to grab some 12 Bones barbecue on his way to the airport.</p><p>He called on Congress to help his administration set up 15 “global centers of high-tech jobs and advanced manufacturing around the country,” modeled after a pilot project in Youngstown, Ohio. Three such manufacturing hubs will be set up by executive order.</p><p>The president also wants Congress to eliminate tax breaks for companies that move jobs and profits overseas, and reward companies that keep them at home by lowering the effective tax rate paid by domestic manufacturers – “in-sourcing,” he called it.</p><p>After shedding jobs for more than 10 years, Obama said U.S. manufacturers have added 500,000 jobs over the past three years. He cited Caterpillar — which Linamar supplies parts to — moving back from Japan, Ford bringing jobs back from Mexico and Apple making Macs again domestically. </p><p>“Because just as it's becoming more and more expensive to do business in places like China, America is getting more competitive and more productive,” the president said.</p><p>Obama's appearance struck a chord with Linamar's workers, who swarmed around him to shake hands and take photos following his 15-minute speech, which ended around 12:30 p.m. </p><p>Rosman resident Mark Shipley, who started at Linamar as a machine operator last June, was hoping to bring his wife to see Obama's speech, but she fell ill and couldn't make it. </p><p>“She was wanting to be here for this moment,” Shipley said, a camera at the ready around his neck. “This is pretty cool. The only people that are allowed to be here are employees and family members.” </p><p>His friend, Steven Blackburn of Etowah, was working for another area manufacturer as a temp. But he wasn't happy there, he said.</p><p>“I'd been there a year and a half trying to get on with them,” Blackburn said of his former employer. “I put in for this at the (AB Tech) job fair in October and started work in April. It's been great.”</p><p>Both Shipley and Blackburn work on the plant's CNC machines, computer-aided machining equipment that has revolutionized modern manufacturing. </p><p>“We do motors for Volvo,” Blackburn said. “We do all the machining on the blocks: drilling, milling, tapping. Once it leaves our doors, it's ready for Volvo to assemble for 6-cylinder tractor-trailers, dump trucks.”</p><p>Canadian-owned Linamar is in the process of expanding its plant, adding $75 million in investment and hiring an additional 250 workers. Blackburn speculated the renovated plant may have provided the perfect backdrop for a presidential talk on jobs.</p><p>“Maybe that's a reason he's focusing on us, because we're a growing company,” he said. “I think we're all blessed to have him come and visit our company. It's awesome.”</p><p>Blackburn's brother, Doug, who lives in Dana, was also hired on with Linamar as a parts washer and packer after he saw the pay and benefits his sibling was getting. He, too, left a temp job at another area manufacturer — Meritor in Fletcher.</p><p>“It was a blessing from God,” his wife, Valerie, said as she waited for the president to arrive. The couple was struggling financially before Linamar's offer, she said.</p><p>Obama cautioned his audience that “we're not going to bring back every job that's been lost to outsourcing and automation over the last decade.” He referenced his earlier tour of Linamar, where he saw computers at use that help the company produce more engine parts with fewer workers.</p><p>But many hard-hit manufacturing towns can be revitalized, he said, if local officials partner with federal resources to attract new investment. </p><p>“Because once the investment starts coming in, things start turning around. And that means infrastructure gets modernized and research facilities get built, and suddenly a community that was knocked down is getting back up, and they're attracting new manufacturers who want to come and expand and hire,” Obama said.</p><p>During a conference call with reporters before the speech, Director Gene Sperling of the president's National Economic Council said Obama's budget would include $6 billion in tax credits to help downtrodden communities attract new manufacturers to replace lost ones. </p><p>The president also pushed his proposal to create a “Community College to Career Fund” as a way “to help our workers get the training to compete for the industries of tomorrow.” The goal is to train 2 million Americans with skills that lead directly to a job, and he used Linamar's partnership with AB Tech as an example of how customized, on-the-job training can work.</p><p>“It's good for Linamar, because they're getting workers who they know can do the job,” the president said. “It's good for the folks who are going to the community college, because they know if they work hard and they do well in class, there's a job waiting for them.”</p><p>On his fourth trip to the Asheville area, Obama hinted that he and his wife like the area so much they might consider retiring here. </p><p>“Michelle and I always talk about how after this whole presidency thing, we're looking for a little spot to ... come on down (to),” the president said coyly. “Play a little golf, do a little hiking, fishing, barbecue.”</p><p>Two student leaders from West Henderson High, student body President Collin Armstrong and senior class President Zachary Chokr, got a front-row view of the president's speech, thanks to Principal Dean Jones' connections.</p><p>“He came up before he went up to the podium and shook our hands,” Chokr said, describing the experience as “something I'll never forget. It was a pretty big moment.”</p><p>Reach Axtell at 828-694-7860 or than.axtell@blueridgenow.com.</p>